In response to my post asking whether Bristol Palin should have considered putting the baby up for adoption, Gerard Nadal writes in the comment box:

The Palins are an intact intergenerational family of some means who welcome their newest member. It does not seem that there is any reason for Todd and Sarah to want to give away their first grandchild. They have education, money, a large home, relatives and friends to help the young mother. Adoption is not necessary. I suppose that if they did attempt to do so, then you would be chortling about their hypocrisy on family values. Is that what you are angling for on this thread? A trap for conservatives?
Using your standard, what would you advocate for the 70% of African American babies born today? That 70% are born to young (mostly teen) mothers with 1/4 of Bristol’s literacy and none of her financial or familial resources. There is no realistic option for marriage and family life for these girls either. If you are advocating adoption for Bristol’s child, what do you have to say to the African American community? Bring back the orphanages?

Yes, this thread is “a trap” for conservatives! I can’t believe you found me out!
Seriously, I don’t know when adoption is the right approach and I’m not trying to cast aspersions at Bristol’s suitability. But it seems that a decent argument can be made that when you have someone who is a) unmarried and b) a teenager, that those would be the circumstances in which putting a child up for adoption ought to be considered. So yes, I would ask the same question about African American unwed teen mothers, too.
Your argument is that it’s ok in this case because of the extended family. I admit that’s a mitigating circumstance. It’s hard to imagine Trigg is going to starve. But many African American teen moms point to the involvement of grandparents in explaining why they can handle it. And Murphy Brown defenders explained that, as an affluent career woman, she’d be fully capable of caring for a baby on her own.
I dunno. I was with Dan Quayle on that one.
This is a tough, personal call. The guy in the White House seems to have done fine as the child of a single mother largely raised by his grandparents.
But I do think it’s appropriate for would-be grandparents or society in general to express an opinion about when a teen mom is better off putting up a child for adoption.
What do you think? If you were a grandparent, or friend, under what circumstances would you recommend that a teen mom put the baby up for adoption rather than raising him or her?